Finally got my results back and I passed with an 82%. I was an LPN for 6 years before going back, so I had the clinical experience but the theory side was rough. Spent about 7 weeks studying, around 2–3 hours a day after shifts.
The pharmacology section hit harder than I expected. Maybe 30% of the questions felt like they were testing drug calculations and interactions specifically. I'd say if you're weak on pharm, spend at least 40% of your prep time there. I used a combo of Saunders and a few practice question banks.
For anyone pursuing the nace certification pathway, the transition modules in the official study guide are worth reading twice. There's a lot of content about scope of practice differences between PN and RN that shows up in multiple choice framing.
My biggest regret is I waited too long to start timed practice exams. Do a full timed mock at week 4 at the latest so you know where your gaps are before it's too late to fix them.
I took it last year and the maternity/OB section was what got me. Failed by 4 points the first time. Second attempt I scored a 76 after drilling OB content for two extra weeks.
The transition-focused questions are genuinely different from standard NCLEX-style. They're testing whether you understand the RN role shift, not just clinical knowledge.
7 weeks sounds about right. I've heard people try to cram it into 3 weeks and struggle. With work and family it's hard to find the hours, but 2 hours a day minimum is what I tell everyone.
The timed exam advice is spot on. I did my first full mock the night before and bombed it purely from pacing issues. Practice under real conditions early or you'll learn that lesson the hard way.
Congrats on the 82%! I'm sitting for it in 3 weeks and pharm is exactly my weak spot. Did you find the Saunders pharm chapters covered it well enough or did you supplement with something else?